Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what definition he uses of over watch as used to describe the role of British armed forces in Southern Iraq.

Des Browne: holding answer 12 September 2007
	Overwatch is a term used by UK military planners in Multi-National Division South-East to describe the force posture by coalition forces within a given province in Iraq, in relation to the progressive transfer of security responsibility to Iraqi security forces.
	There are three phases of overwatch: tactical, operational and finally strategic. As each province passes through these phases, the division of responsibility between coalition and Iraqi security forces is adjusted to take account of the changing security situation and increasing capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces.
	In the UK's area of responsibility in Iraq, three of the four provinces (Al Muthanna, Dhi Qar, and Maysan) are currently in the operational overwatch phase. Security in the fourth province, Basra, will remain the responsibility of coalition forces until the conditions are appropriate to transfer responsibility to the Iraqi Security Forces.

Type 45 Destroyers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what economies of scale he estimates could be made, per warship, if a flotilla of  (a) six,  (b) seven and  (c) eight Type-45 Destroyers were to be built.

Des Browne: holding answer 25 July 2007
	The data to make accurate comparative calculations over Type 45 Destroyer fleet sizes is not available. However, value-for-money will be one of many considerations in the decision on future Type 45 orders.

Higher Education: Admissions

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students his Department has estimated will enrol courses at higher education institutions in each academic year up to 2009-10.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 10 September 2007
	 Current projections show the numbers of students rising from 1,508,000 in 2006/07 to 1,554,000 in 2007/08.
	The following table shows recent years' outturn figures.
	
		
			  Academic year  Total full-time equivalent students 
			 2001/02 1,320,000 
			 2002/03 1,380,000 
			 2003/04 1,425,000 
			 2004/05 1,449,000 
			 2005/06 1,480,000 
		
	
	These figures are on a full-time equivalent basis, and cover all (UK, EU and overseas domiciled) students, studying at higher education institutions (HEIs) and further education colleges (FECs) in England.
	Estimates of likely numbers of students beyond 2007/08 have not yet been made, and will depend on the final settlement of the current Comprehensive Spending Review.

Council Tax

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were prosecuted for the non-payment of council tax, broken down by  (a) region and  (b) ethnicity of the defendant in each of the last five years for which records are available; and how much council tax arrears were written off by local authorities over the same period.

Parmjit Dhanda: Communities and Local Government does not collect information on the number of taxpayers against whom billing authorities take enforcement action for non-payment of council tax.
	Communities and Local Government does not have an estimate available on the amount of council tax arrears written off by local authorities.

Teenage Pregnancy

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made in reducing pregnancy rates among under 18-year-olds since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The latest annual under-18 conception data, published in February 2007, relates to conceptions that occurred in 2005. This data showed that the under-18 conception rate had fallen by 11.8 per cent. since 1998 (the baseline year for the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy), to its lowest level for over 20 years. The under-16 conception rate has also fallen—by 12.1 per cent. between 1998 and 2005.
	First quarter 2006 data shows an encouraging continued downward trend in both the under-18 and under-16 conception rates. While trends in quarterly conception rates should be interpreted with caution, first quarter 2006 rates are the lowest first quarter rates since 1993, when the statistical series started.
	We have issued guidance to local authorities and primary care trusts on what we consider to be the key ingredients of local strategies, based on evidence from those local areas which have had most success in reducing teenage conception rates. All areas have been asked to use this guidance to accelerate progress to the levels of the best—if all areas had performed as well as the top quartile, the national reduction would be 26 per cent., more than twice the reduction actually achieved.

Dental Services: Cornwall

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of  (a) adults and  (b) children were treated by NHS dentists in Cornwall, broken down by the smallest available areas for which data is available in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: Information is not held centrally in the form requested. For the period up to 31 March 2006, information is available on the proportion of patients registered with a dental practice to receive national health service care and treatment.
	The proportion of patients registered, by adult/child, as at 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2006 are available in Annex B of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006". Information is available at strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) level in England.
	This report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006.
	Since April 2006, patients no longer have to register with a dental practice to receive NHS care and treatment. Instead, data are collected on the number of patients receiving NHS dental services (patients seen) in a given area over a 24-month period. This is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years when patients registered for a 15-month period.
	The number of patients seen, by adult/child, in the previous 24 months as a percentage of the population, ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table C1 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07" report. Information is available at SHA and PCT level in England.
	This report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607.
	In both reports, data at PCT level are the smallest regional area for which information is available.

NHS Accountancy

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on which dates the annual accounts of the NHS were published in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: pursuant to the reply, 26 July 2007, Official Report, c. 1443-44W
	All national health service bodies are required to publish their accounts locally. The accounts must be presented at a public meeting held no later than 30 September following the end of the financial year (31 March).
	The National Audit Office publish the NHS summarised accounts for strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and NHS trusts. The publication dates for the last five financial years were:
	2001-02: 21 March 2003
	2002-03: 28 April 2004
	2003-04: 24 June 2005
	2004-05: 7 June 2006
	2005-06: 6 July 2007

Animals: Disease Control

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  on how many occasions in each month in the last five years  (a) the high security unit,  (b) incinerators and  (c) effluent treatment plant at the Compton and Pirbright facilities of the Institute for Animal Health were closed down for safety reasons; and how long the closures were in each case;
	(2)  whether the  (a) Pirbright and  (b) Compton site of the Institute for Animal Health is in compliance with the statutory requirements for (i) legionella, (ii) asbestos, (iii) five year fixed wiring tests and (iv) fire survey statutory regulations;
	(3)  on how many occasions in each month in the last five years there were recorded instances of the negative building operating pressure in  (a) bio-containment facilities at Compton and Pirbright and  (b) the High Security Unit at Compton (i) being accidentally reversed, (ii) falling below normal levels and (iii) experiencing noticeable periods of loss of negative pressure.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 10 September
	I have been asked to reply.
	These are matters for the Institute of Animal Health which is an independent company limited by guarantee with charitable status, I have drawn the attention of the Chairman of the Governing Board to the hon. Member's questions.

Departments: Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people have been appointed to his Department outside of Civil Service grades in the last 30 days.

Jonathan R Shaw: The only appointments made outside civil service grades are board appointments. My Department publishes information annually on appointments to the public bodies for which it is responsible. Data for 2006-07 is in the process of being collated, and will be published shortly.

Floods

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the economic impact of the summer 2007 floods on the  (a) agriculture industry,  (b) horticulture industry,  (c) local government and  (d) tourism industry.

Parmjit Dhanda: I have been asked to reply.
	We do not hold centrally the information requested on the economic impact of the summer 2007 floods and a full answer could be provided only at disproportionate
	cost.
	Our application for the European Union Solidarity Fund European was submitted on 20 August. A provisional assessment of damage caused by the June and July floods lies at above €4 billion. While this is currently the best working estimate based on work with local authorities and other agencies, the final and confirmed costs will not be known for some time.
	Data on the economic impact on the agriculture and horticulture industries of the summer 2007 floods are not yet available. I understand that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have commissioned work to estimate the value of immediate crop and livestock losses from flooding, and will publish this when it is complete later in the year.
	Following the floods 50 local authorities have registered for assistance from the Bellwin Scheme for June and 52 have registered for July. 20 local authorities have registered for both schemes. Once we have assessed the claims from these local authorities we will have information on the uninsurable costs they have incurred as a result of the floods. For the last nationwide flooding scheme in 2000, we paid out £21 million to 76 local authorities. We do not know yet what the level of costs will be this time.
	A full estimate of the costs to the tourism industry of the floods has not been completed. It is of the nature of tourism that the impact on future holiday bookings will take time to emerge. However, the British Holiday and Home Parks Association estimates losses of around £25 million. Worcestershire estimates losses of between £100 to £150 million and Advantage West Midlands have reported losses of £20 million. Data on Hull and East Yorkshire suggest tourism costs of £4.75 million. A full assessment of the total impact on the tourism industry will not be available for some time.

Foot and Mouth Disease

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the cost to the Government of the measures put in place during the most recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 10 September 2007
	To date, the total cost to the Department of dealing with the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease is approximately £8.7 million. This figure is subject to amendment as more data becomes available.

Lorries: Exhaust Emissions

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 85W, on lorries: exhaust emissions, what plans he has to  (a) to undertake and  (b) to commission further research into the effects of HGV emissions on (i) special protection areas, (ii) sites of special scientific interest and (iii) sites of importance for nature conservation.

Joan Ruddock: There are no plans, at present, for my Department to undertake or commission further research into the effects of HGV emissions on any of the areas mentioned in (i) — (iii).
	However, Defra has committed, through the Air Quality Strategy review launched In July, to carrying out further analysis over the next year and considering how best to ensure the protection of ecosystems against air pollution in the medium to the long term. Decisions on the funding of future research will be taken once this work is complete.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what steps she has taken to ensure that small businesses benefit from the 2012 Olympics; and what estimate has been made of the number of small businesses who will benefit from these games.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 12 September 2007
	 Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) will buy and manage up to 2,000 direct contracts with businesses who will in turn manage up to 50,000 agreements across their own supply chains. The ODA estimates that approximately half of the contracts that have been awarded to date have gone to SME's and intends to issue details of the exact number and an analysis of contracts issued in the near future. Contracts will be awarded to those judged to be the best suppliers and service providers. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform is mobilising its full range of business support tools, such as its Business Link services, available in all English regions. Similar support services are available in the devolved Administrations. This helps those companies who wish to get fit to supply, not just games-related contracts but also the 125 billion per annum public procurement opportunities.
	All businesses can register their interest in these contracts on the business section of the ODA's website www.london2012.com/business which details all contract opportunities and includes advance notice of future opportunities. The ODA published in June 2007 its Supplier Guide for businesses interested in pursuing Olympic-related contracts, also available online.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many public affairs consultancies have been shortlisted for the position of London 2012 Public Affairs Advisor; and whether any of those agencies have declared  (a) a party political donation to the Labour Party in the last three years and  (b) attendance at the Labour Party fundraiser at Wembley in July as part of the tendering process.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 12 September 2007
	 The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games LOCOG) is currently undertaking a procurement process for public affairs services and support. LOCOG is a privately financed company.
	In line with the commitment they have made to extending the opportunities created by the games as widely as possible, LOCOG openly invited all relevant companies to tender through its website. LOCOG is committed to conducting a fair procurement process.
	From a list of 28 companies that expressed an interest and submitted a pre-qualification questionnaire, nine have been invited to tender. It would be inappropriate for LOCOG to disclose the names of parties on that list while the procurement process is ongoing. In relation to parts  (a) and  (b); these specific questions have not been asked as part of the tender, and therefore will form no part of the evaluation. However all applicants must declare any conflicts of interest, and outline the code of ethics to which they subscribe.

Citizens Juries

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to publish  (a) transcripts and  (b) reports of citizens juries.

Jack Straw: The Government expect that the conclusions of citizens' juries will be made available. However decisions on whether this should be in the form of transcripts and reports is a matter for the individual Department with policy lead.

Community Service Orders

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many unpaid work appointments have been cancelled since January, broken down by probation area.

David Hanson: Across all probation areas a total of 29,852 work appointments were cancelled between 1 January 2007 and 30 June 2007. This compares with 644,697 appointments which were kept, which is a cancellation rate of 4.6 per cent. The number of unpaid work appointments cancelled in each probation area is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Area  Appointment cancelled 
			 Avon and Somerset 848 
			 Bedfordshire 313 
			 Cambridgeshire 777 
			 Cheshire 1,737 
			 County Durham 41 
			 Cumbria 483 
			 Derbyshire 62 
			 Devon and Cornwall 311 
			 Dorset 164 
			 Dyfed Powys 21 
			 Essex 747 
			 Gloucestershire 182 
			 Greater Manchester 472 
			 Gwent 884 
			 Hampshire 1,927 
			 Hertfordshire 939 
			 Humberside 107 
			 Kent 1,589 
			 Lancashire 328 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland 489 
			 Lincolnshire 204 
			 London 3,786 
			 Merseyside 768 
			 Norfolk 1,183 
			 North Wales 318 
			 North Yorkshire 203 
			 Northamptonshire 177 
			 Northumbria 237 
			 Nottinghamshire 301 
			 South Wales 121 
			 South Yorkshire 445 
			 Staffordshire 1,346 
			 Suffolk 959 
			 Surrey 181 
			 Sussex 657 
			 Teesside 30 
			 Thames Valley 4,287 
			 Warwickshire 34 
			 West Mercia 1,152 
			 West Midlands 1,090 
			 West Yorkshire 25 
			 Wiltshire 30

Community Service Orders

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the adequacy of supply of unpaid work supervisors between January and August, broken down by probation area.

David Hanson: The probation Human Resources Workforce Information Report for June 2007 records that at the end of December 2006 there were 31.29 full-time equivalent vacancies related to unpaid work supervision that were the subject of an active recruitment process. This data is not broken down by probation area.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 619-20W, on Departments: aviation, how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by officials from  (a) outside his core Department and its predecessor,  (b) the Patent Office and  (c) the Competition Commission in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost was of such flights.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 10 July 2007
	In each of the last three calendar years, the number of flights taken to overseas destinations and the cost of those flights was:
	
		
			  Competition Commission 
			   Number of Flights  Flight Costs () 
			 2006 37 31,835 
			 2005 50 36,103 
			 2004 51 31,054 
		
	
	
		
			  Intellectual Property Office (formerly Patent Office) 
			   Number of Flights  Flight Costs () 
			 2006 190 137,075 
			 2005 254 144,041 
			 2004 226 113,192 
		
	
	
		
			  National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) 
			   Number of Flights  Flight Costs () 
			 2006 2 166 
			 2005 17 2,598 
			 2004 13 1,816 
		
	
	These figures were included within the departmental figure provided in the answer of 26 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 619-20W. Figures are not available for flights taken by officials from outside the core Department and its Agencies. The figures provided are from the Department's travel agent Carlson Wagonlit. The figures do not include any flights that may be booked through other travel agents as this is not separately captured or recorded.
	The number of flights corresponds with the number of tickets issued and may include a number of flights to different destinations made on the same business trip. The number of flights may also include tickets from an overseas destination to the UK if the flight is on a different carrier from the outward flight, or if the return leg is in a different class of travel with the same or a different carrier.

Industrial Disputes: Arbitration

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of mediated employment disputes were successfully concluded at that stage in the latest period for which figures are available.

Patrick McFadden: Mediation is a widely used term which covers a number of activities related to the resolution of disputes or the management of conflict. ACAS staff are involved in working in a number of areas which sit under this umbrella term. These are:
	Conciliation in employment tribunal cases
	Conciliation in collective disputes
	Mediation in work-place disputes
	Mediation in collective disputes.
	 Conciliation in employment tribunal cases
	In almost all cases where a claim is submitted to an employment tribunal, ACAS has a statutory duty to promote a resolution that both sides find acceptable instead of going to a tribunal hearing.
	In 2006-7 ACAS received a total of 105,177 employment tribunal claims for conciliation. During the same period 38 per cent. of claims were subject to a legally binding settlement brokered by ACAS, 31 per cent. of claims were withdrawn following discussion of the case with the ACAS conciliator, and 27 per cent. of claims proceeded to an employment tribunal for hearing. 4 per cent. of claims were disposed of in other ways.
	During the period, and in addition, ACAS brokered a resolution to 57,476 potential claims, of which 56,159 were potential local authority equal pay claims.
	 Conciliation in collective disputes
	ACAS also assists parties to resolve their differences where a dispute arises between an employer and trades union or other work force representation group, or between groups of workers.
	In 2006-07 ACAS was involved in 912 collective disputes. During the same period, 835 were completed, 91 per cent. successfully.
	 Mediation in work  place disputes
	In 2006-07 ACAS accepted 134 individual work place disputes for mediation. 99 of these were resolved through mediation, and in a further eight cases progress was made, giving a total success rate of 80 per cent.
	 Mediation in collective disputes
	Where a collective dispute is resolved by means of a reference to an independent mediator who is empowered to write a formal report making recommendations, ACAS will appoint a mediator from its list of independent arbitrator/mediators.
	In 2006-07 ACAS received two requests for collective mediation, both of which were resolved.

Wind Power: Subsidies

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the total subsidy paid to the owners of wind turbines under the Renewables Obligation Certificate Scheme has been in each of the last 10 years; and what forecast he has made of such payments for each of the next 10 years.

Stephen Timms: The Renewables Obligation does not pay a direct subsidy to generators but instead places an obligation on licensed electricity suppliers to source a specific and annually increasing proportion of their sales from renewable sources. Suppliers meet their obligation by presenting Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) which are issued to generators for eligible renewable generation; paying a buy-out price; or a combination of both. Money from the buy-out fund is recycled pro-rata to suppliers presenting ROCs.
	The ROC price is therefore set by the market but a nominal value of the ROC to the supplier can be calculated by adding the buyout price to the recycled buyout fund attributable to each ROC. Multiplying this by the number of ROCs issued for wind generated renewable electricity gives an indication of the support provided.
	The Renewables Obligation came into force for 2002-03 so figures are not available before that date. For 2002-03 to 2004-05 the figures are finalised and for 2005-06 the figures are estimated. The figures going forward are based on estimated wind generation and ROC price as part of a modelling framework developed for us by Oxera Consulting Ltd and published alongside our recent consultation on reform of the Renewables Obligation.
	
		
			   Wind generated renewable electricity (TWh)  Equivalent support provided (  m illion ) 
			 2002-03 1.1 53.5 
			 2003-04 1.3 69.3 
			 2004-05 2.0 96.6 
			 2005-06 2.8 120.4 
			 2006-07 4.2 210.4 
			 2007-08 5.3 257.5 
			 2008-09 6.5 300.5 
			 2009-10 10.6 529.3 
			 2010-11 14.5 659.9 
			 2011-12 18.1 802.6 
			 2012-13 22.7 1,016.1 
			 2013-14 25.0 1,117.9 
			 2014-15 27.3 1,218.3 
			 2015-16 29.1 1,299.2 
			 2016-17 30.1 1,337.2 
			 2017-18 30.9 1,371.3

Departments: Delivery Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what volume of correspondence his Department sent  (a) by Royal Mail and  (b) by other commercial delivery services in each of the last five years; and what the reasons were for the use of other commercial delivery services.

Anne McGuire: The information for  (a) is listed in the following table. It does not include output of mail items sent from the Department's local offices as this information is not held centrally and could be obtained only by incurring disproportionate costs. Royal Mail collect, sort and deliver mail from majority of DWP sites including the collection of first class mail from a DWP supplier who produces mail on behalf of the Department.
	
		
			   Volume 
			 2002 121,754,264 
			 2003 116,806,028 
			 2004 105,367,565 
			 2005 84,532,423 
			 2006 89,694,433 
		
	
	 (b) DWP uses other commercial delivery services secured through competitive tender awarded on the basis of value for money and increased efficiency.
	UK Mail were recently awarded a contract following a competition to handle items of DWP second class mail collected from two regional distribution centres which is passed to Royal Mail for final mile delivery under down stream access. DWP will achieve significant savings over the duration of this contract.
	The Department sends approximately 18 million items per year between DWP offices through a courier service. This includes the distribution of internal mail and stationery from our print suppliers. We are unable to provide more accurate information as this data is not held centrally and to obtain would incur disproportionate costs.
	The Department's has an annual average volume of 1.5 million items of international mail dealt with from various sites by a company called Spring. Again, we are unable to provide more accurate data as the information is not held centrally and to obtain would incur disproportionate costs.

Departments: Departmental Records

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 84W, on Departments: departmental records, what estimate he has made of the annual increase of files in storage since 2004; what the basis is on which files are kept and accessed; for how long they are kept; and what the criteria for disposal are.

Anne McGuire: The original file holding in central sites in July 2004 was 16,700,00.
	
		
			   File holding Heywood site 
			 July 2007 44,425,291 
			 July 2006 35,055,824 
			 July 2005 25,003,306 
			 July 2004 16,714,353 
		
	
	The number of files held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and its agencies at July 2007 is approximately 52.7 million (this includes 7.3 million DCS files are held at Nelson store).
	DWP employs a policy to actively maintain and retain customer information and documentation for as long as they are required for departmental business purposes.
	Documentation relating to customer claims for benefit are retained for as long as the decision to pay or not pay on the claim remains current and 14-months after it is superseded, withdrawn or refused.
	The retention of corporate documentation is determined by business need, taking into account any statutory, legal considerations. Corporate information, such as Registered Files are retained, reviewed and disposed of in accordance with the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967 and in consultation with the National Archives.
	This takes regards to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and Freedom of Information Act 2000, however, retention periods are determined to meet DWP business purposes.
	Access to all records is strictly determined by departmental business reasons. Operational procedures are in place to control this.

Departments: Departmental Records

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 84W, on Departments: departmental records, what mechanisms are in place to prevent the duplication of files for the same claimants.

Anne McGuire: Customer details are entered onto DWP's electronic file system using the national insurance number as the key unique identifier and this will prevent the duplication of customer files.
	Each business unit and benefit type within that unit will retain its own record/file for each individual. Within DWP guidance there is a requirement to consider previous records and either maintain all documents within one file or ensure that the earlier files are marked for destruction depending on how long ago the previous claim went dormant.
	In addition there may be occasions for urgent cases when a duplicate file may be raised with the intention that is linked with the original at the first opportunity. Depending on linking rules some benefits will legitimately have more than one record.

Departments: Sick Leave

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average duration was of an absence from work through sickness in his Department in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: Official figures on the level of sickness absence in the civil service are reported by the Cabinet Office annually in a report titled 'Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service'. However, the Cabinet Office does not report 'average duration' at summary level in this report, therefore the figures quoted in the table are taken from data held internally. Data on 'average durations' has been recorded internally since 2002-03.
	
		
			  Financial year  Average duration working days 
			 2006-07 6.3 
			 2005-06 6.5 
			 2004-05 7.1 
			 2003-04 6.7 
			 2002-03 6.2 
		
	
	The figures for 'average duration' are based on April to March working days.

Employment Schemes

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he plans to make of the analysis of the barriers to work set out in the National Audit Office report Helping People from Workless Households into Work, HC 609.

Caroline Flint: We welcome the National Audit Office report helping People from Workless Household into Work. As the report describes, there are now more people in work than ever before and the existing range of employment programmes have been a success. They are also right that there remain three million workless households with too many children living in poverty. This is why we have put forward new proposals in the Green Paper, In work, better off: next steps to full employment, to deliver a step change in the employment and skills support we offer to the most disadvantaged in the labour market.
	We will consider their analysis of the barriers to work and the recommendations they have made.

Housing Benefit: Islington

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average level of housing benefit paid to  (a) local authority tenants,  (b) housing association tenants and  (c) private sector tenants in the borough of Islington was in (i) the last 12 months and (ii) each of the last three years.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 18 July 2007
	The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Average weekly amount of housing benefit by tenure in the London borough of Islington in the last available 12 months 
			   per week 
			   Local authority tenants  Registered social landlord tenants  Private tenants 
			 February 2006 77.51 89.85 127.00 
			 May 2006 82.77 91.75 129.51 
			 August 2006 82.95 94.18 131.64 
			 November 2006 82.79 95.17 133.87 
		
	
	
		
			  Average weekly amount of housing benefit by tenure in the London borough of  Islington in the last available three  years 
			   per week 
			   Local authority tenants  Registered social landlord tenants  Private tenants 
			 November 2004 75.14 83.13 118.71 
			 November 2005 77.55 89.17 126.52 
			 November 2006 82.79 95.17 133.87 
			  Notes:  1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.  2. Average amounts have been rounded to the nearest penny.  3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated.  4. Housing benefit excludes any extended payment cases.   Source:  Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in the quarters shown.

Incapacity Benefits: Mortgages

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support is available to assist  (a) able-bodied and  (b) disabled people who stop work at short notice due to incapacity in paying the interest on their mortgages; and what limits are placed on this support relating to (i) weekly payments, (ii) the size of mortgage covered and (iii) timespan for which support is available.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 26 July 2007
	There is no difference between income support and jobseeker's allowance regarding the level of assistance with housing costs for disabled and non-disabled claimants who leave work. Claimants who took out a mortgage after 2 October 1995 must wait 39 weeks before assistance with their housing costs is paid.
	People who have caring responsibilities, or who have been refused payments under an insurance policy due to either a pre-existing medical condition or because they were infected with HIV may receive such assistance earlier.
	Generally no assistance is available where a person takes a loan out while in receipt of benefit and no assistance is provided towards arrears, capital repayments or insurance premiums. Help can be given towards the interest on the first 100,000 of the outstanding loan. Such assistance with housing costs is available until entitlement to income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance ceases.
	Similar rules apply to people on pension credit, However, they do not have to serve a waiting period before assistance with housing costs can be paid.
	The capital limit of 100,000 does not apply to loans taken out to adapt the existing dwelling for the needs of a disabled person.
	A claimant may take out a loan during their benefit claim in order to move to a new property that is more suitable for the needs of a disabled person. However, in these cases the capital limit of 100,000 would still apply.

National Insurance Credits

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his written ministerial statement of 23 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 47-8WS, on national insurance credits, what his estimate is of the total amount of  (a) overpayments and  (b) underpayments.

James Plaskitt: Initial estimates are that annual potential overpayments could be around 90 million.
	Initial estimates of potential underpayments are around 65 million.
	These estimates do not take into account any entitlement to, or payment of, income-related benefits which would affect the amounts over or under paid.

New Deal Schemes: Standards

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has compared the relative performances in returning numbers of people to work of the New Deal self-employment programme and other employment programmes; whether there are any plans to expand the New Deal programme; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer given to my hon. Friends the Members for City of Durham (Dr. Blackman-Woods) and Carlisle (Mr. Martlew) on 23 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1184-86W.
	We have laid out our plans for the future of new deal in our Green Paper In Work, better off: next steps to full employment which was published on 18 July and which is available in the Library.

New Deal Schemes: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in City of York constituency have found work through each of the Government's new deal programmes since their introduction.

Caroline Flint: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  New deal in the City of York 
			  Programme  Individuals into jobs 
			 New deal for young people 1,080 
			 New deal 25 plus 500 
			 New deal for lone parents 1,050 
			 New deal 50 plus 280 
			 New deal for partners  
			 Total 2,910 
			  Notes: 1. New deal for disabled people data is not available at constituency level. 2. New deal for partners data is five or less. 3. Data is rounded to the nearest 10. 4. Latest data is to the end of November 2006. 5. New deal 50 plus data includes all employment credit starts up to March 2003, and all individuals into employment from April 2003. Some individuals may be counted more than once in these figures. 6. Programme start dates are: new deal for young people: January 1998; new deal 25 plus: July 1998; new deal for lone parents: October 1998; new deal 50 plus: April 2000; new deal for partners: May 1999.   Source:  Information Directorate, DWP, 2007

Pension Credit

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department plans to take further to encourage eligible pensioners to claim the pension credit to which they are entitled.

Mike O'Brien: The Pension Service is undertaking a wide range of steps to encourage eligible pensioners to claim pension credit.
	In our 2007-08 direct mailing programme, we plan to issue over 1 million letters to encourage and remind potential eligible pensioners to apply for pension credit. This will coincide with press advertising and leaflet inserts in newspapers and magazines, which will be aimed at securing the support of friends and family to encourage take-up of pension credit in areas with relatively high numbers of potentially eligible non-recipients.
	To provide a better insight into our customer base, the Pension Service is making use of advanced data analysis techniques to target eligible pensioners to pension credit. The Department sourced data from Experian, a private company who are the UK's largest originators and owners of geo-demographic consumer data, and linked 15 million older peoples' accounts to provide better insight into our customer base. This tool will help us reach customer groups with low pension credit take up.
	We are continuing to expand our partnership working through Joint Working Partnerships between the Pension Service local service, local authorities and the voluntary sector. The Pension Service currently has 180 operational Joint Working Partnerships with primary tier local authorities with a further 22 agreed or in the implementation stages. These partnerships help us to identify harder to reach customers and deliver a full and joined up services to older people.
	We are also working in partnership with local authorities and the voluntary sector on our alternative office network. Alternative offices operate through partnership agreements between the Pension Service, local authorities and the voluntary sector. These offices accept applications from people aged 60 or over for social security benefits.
	In addition, our local service plan to carry out around 680,000 face to face visits during 2007-08, offering a full entitlement check to the poorest and most needy older people. We will also carry out an extensive outbound telephone campaign to those who fail to respond to written invitations to apply, or who drop-out part way through the pension credit application process.
	All of this activity will be supported by information on the Pension Service, DWP and DirectGov (the UK Government's digital service for all public service information and services) websites about our products and services, and continued close working with national and regional press officers to make the most of publicity and media opportunities.
	Finally, as part of the transformation of the Pension Service, people can now claim state pension and pension credit over the phone. If a customer is eligible for pension credit we can also take an application for housing benefit, council tax benefit and carer's allowance during the same phone call. As part of the future programme of transformation, state pension customers will be encouraged to claim pension credit, if appropriate, when they call to notify key changes of circumstances.

Pensions: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average value of benefits in kind provided by the state was to  (a) single pensioners and  (b) pensioner couples in York in 1996-97 and each year since then in respect of (i) NHS services, (ii) social services, (iii) travel concessions, (iv) television licences, (v) insulation and home repairs and improvements and (vi) other services.

Mike O'Brien: A wide range of services and benefits in kind are available to older people and these are administered both centrally and locally. As a result, the information is not available in the format requested: some information is not collected and some could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The information which is available is given as follows.
	(i) NHS services
	People aged 60 and over are able to claim free prescriptions and eye tests on the grounds of age.
	Information on the value of medicines provided by the national health service (NHS) to pensioners in York cannot be provided as the information is only available at primary care trust level and there has never been an NHS organisation serving simply the York area. However, information is available for York and Selby Primary Care Trust which existed from October 2000 to September 2006.
	The following table shows the estimated net ingredient cost (NIC) of medicines dispensed by the NHS in the community, to patients aged 60 and over, in the York and Selby PCT.
	
		
			  Financial year  NIC ()( 1) 
			 2000-01 (October 2000 to March 2001 ) 7,113,267 
			 2001-02 16,031,265 
			 2002-03 18,234,442 
			 2003-04 20,141,851 
			 2004-05 21,771,804 
			 2005-06 21,842,267 
			 (1 )These figures have been taken from the Prescription Cost Analysis database and are estimates based on a sample of prescriptions. 
		
	
	Free NHS sight tests were made available to people aged 60 and over from 1 April 1999. Information on the average value of NHS sight tests provided to people aged 60 and over within the area of the former York and Selby PCT is only available on a consistent basis for the three years 2003-04 to 2005-06 and is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Number of free NHS sight tests given to people aged 60 and over  Estimated cost of NHS sight tests to people aged 60 and over () 
			 2003-04 26,254 453,144 
			 2004-05 26,619 474,351 
			 2005-06 25,057 460,798 
		
	
	Information on the age of adults who qualify for help with other NHS services or the value of such services, such as optical vouchers or relief from dental charges, is not collected centrally.
	(ii)  Social services
	Social services information is not available broken down into single pensioners and pensioner couples. The following table shows the gross current expenditure by York council on social services for people aged 65 or over from 1996-97 to 2005-06.
	
		
			  Gross current expenditure( 1)  by York council on older people (aged 65 or over) 
			  Year (1 April to 31 March)  Gross current expenditure ( thousand) 
			 1996-97 15,200 
			 1997-98 16,300 
			 1998-99 17,400 
			 1999-2000 18,700 
			 2000-01 19,100 
			 2001-02 19,400 
			 2002-03(2) 23,500 
			 2003-04(3) 21,900 
			 2004-05 25,600 
			 2005-06 27,500 
			 (1 )Gross expenditure includes income from client contributions, but excludes capital charges and certain income items which count as expenditure elsewhere in the public sector, such as contributions from primary care trusts. This is to avoid double counting within the aggregate public sector accounts of the money involved. (2) From 2002-03 onwards, the data includes clients who transferred to council with social services responsibilities (CSSR) support on 8 April 2002, who were formally in receipt of higher rates of income support under the Department for Work and Pensions preserved rights scheme. (3 )From 2003-04, additional funding was made available to CSSRs via the Supporting People grant.  Source: RO3 and PSS EX1 returns 
		
	
	(iii)  Travel concessions
	Travel concessions are provided through local authorities and information is not held centrally. Funding is through Formula Grant, a block grant, which local authorities are free to spend on any service. Local authorities have flexibility to enhance their schemes beyond the statutory minimum, so there are local variations in what is offered and take-up of concessionary travel schemes varies from one area to another.
	As announced in the 2006 Budget, the national bus concession will be introduced in April 2008. The Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007 improves the geographic coverage to give those who are eligible free off-peak local bus travel in any part of England. Eligibility on age or disability remains unchanged.
	(iv)  Television licences
	Free television licences for people aged 75 or over were introduced in November 2000. TV Licensing, who administer free licences as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of licences issued. However, figures, shown in the following table, are available for the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming winter fuel payments in York local authority. These people would be eligible for a free television licence.
	
		
			  York local authority area 
			   Number of households with someone aged 75 or over 
			 2004-05 11,685 
			 2005-06 11,930 
			 2006-07(1) 12,070 
			 (1) Main payment run only 
		
	
	Television licence fees for each year since the concession was introduced are shown in the table as follows:
	
		
			   TV licence fees () 
			   Colour  Black and white 
			 2000-01 104.00 34.50 
			 2001-02 109.00 36.50 
			 2002-03 112.00 37.50 
			 2003-04 116.00 38.50 
			 2004-05 121.00 40.50 
			 2005-06 126.50 42.00 
			 2006-07 131.50 44.00 
			 2007-08 135.50 45.50 
		
	
	(v)  Insulation
	The Warm Front Scheme is the Government's main programme for tackling fuel poverty in vulnerable households in the private sector in England. Warm Front provides grants for heating, insulation and energy efficiency measures. The following table displays the number of pensioner households that have received Warm Front assistance in the York local authority area since the Scheme's inception in 2000, and the average spend on each of those households.
	
		
			   Number of single pensioner households assisted in York  Average spend per single pensioner household assisted ()  Number of two pensioners households assisted in York  Average spend per 2 pensioner household assisted () 
			 2000-01 63 345.50 16 791.74 
			 2001-02 170 502.44 43 1,156.06 
			 2002-03 184 611.81 46 1,424.28 
			 2003-04 82 748.75 21 1,701.55 
			 2004-05 87 693.71 22 1,596.59 
			 2005-06 199 778.45 102 765.08 
			 2006-07 364 753.92 252 657.25

Sick Leave

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the  (a) national average rate of absence from work,  (b) public sector average rate of absence from work through sickness and  (c) average rate of absence from work through sickness for the Department of Work and Pensions was in each of the last 10 years.

James Plaskitt: Varying information on sickness absence performance is available.
	The following table is based on information from the Chartered Institute for Personnel Development's (CIPD) annual survey on absence management and represents the average number of days sickness absence per employee per year:
	
		
			   National Average  Public Sector 
			 1998 n/a n/a 
			 1999 9.4 n/a 
			 2000 8.7 n/a 
			 2001 10 n/a 
			 2002 8.9 10.6 
			 2003 9.1 10.7 
			 2004 8.4 10.3 
			 2005 8.0 9.9 
			 2006 8.4 10.3 
		
	
	The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). DWP was created in June 2001. The information provided before 2001 relates only to the former Department for Social Security (the main predecessor to the DWP). Information relating to the old Employment Department is unavailable.
	
		
			   Department for Work and Pensions 
			 1998 10.8 
			 1999 10.9 
			 2000 11.0 
			 2001 11.1 
			 2002 10.8 
			 2003 11.6 
			 2004 9.6 
			 2005 10.1 
			 2006 n/a

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people of working age were  (a) claiming out-of-work benefits,  (b) claiming unemployment benefit,  (c) lone parents claiming income support,  (d) claiming incapacity benefit and  (e) claiming any other out-of-work benefit in (i) May 1992, (ii) May 1997 and (iii) May 1999.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 10 September 2007
	 The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of claimants of out-of-work benefits in Great Britain 
			   Quarter ending 
			   May 1992  May 1997  May 1999 
			 Total claiming out of work benefits n/a 5,442,700 5,033,100 
			 Unemployed 2,592,600 1,556,000 1,220,300 
			 Incapacity benefits 1,891,200 2,616,300 2,653,900 
			 Income support lone parents 956,700 1,014,200 936,600 
			 Other income support n/a 256,200 222,300 
			 n/a=figures not available  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Figures constructed using NOMIS claimant count data, 5 per cent. and 1 per cent. sample data. 3. Incapacity benefit (IB) replaced invalidity benefit (IVB) and sickness benefit (SB) in April 1995. 4. All figures are GB (not seasonally adjusted), except jobseeker's allowance (JSA) which is seasonally adjusted. 5. Incapacity benefits category is made up of IVB, SB and severe disability allowance (SDA) claimants for May 1992, and IB/SDA claimants thereafter. 6. Unemployed category is taken from the seasonally adjusted JSA claimant count for GB published by ONS. Time series data are available from www.nomisweb.co.uk. This 100 per cent. series is the most reliable and up-to- date source for claimant unemployment. 7. This table includes the main out-of-work client group categories, with the exception of carers who are not subject to activation policies in the same way as other groups. 8. This series consists of an earlier consistent series for caseload created by combining older information, available from the previously published 5 per cent. sample data, with the WPLS data. The series are published by DWP at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/timeseriesIBSDA.xls and http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/timeseriesIS.xls. 9. Figures contain a small number of overlap cases of Lone parents on income support who are also receiving incapacity benefits. 10. Figures exclude around 86,000 claimants in receipt of income support and carers allowance.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample scans of IS, IB, SDA, and seasonally adjusted count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems.

Social Security Benefits: ICT

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes  (a) have been made and  (b) are planned to IT systems in order to enable the delivery of the employment and support allowance.

Caroline Flint: No changes have made to IT systems to enable the Delivery of employment and support allowance at this stage.
	The Employment and Support Allowance IS/IT Feasibility Study recommended a technical solution for the employment and support allowance which builds on existing successful IS/IT developments within DWP. This is mainly made up of a:
	Siebel front-end based on the re-use of Pensions Transformation Project Customer Account Management.
	New legacy mainframe based service built on an extension of jobseeker's allowance payment system for payment and award functionality.
	This is the bulk of the IS/IT change required for employment and support allowance (ESA) introduction.
	However, like any major welfare reform the ESA programme will have wide-ranging impacts throughout DWP, other Government Departments and local authorities. To date, the programme has identified and engaged a range of internal and external stakeholders and have IS/IT plans at various stages of maturity.

Turkey: Kurds

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the killing of Kurdish civilians in Turkey by Turkish armed forces and law enforcement agencies over the last three months; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: We are aware of a number of Kurds having been killed in Turkey over the last three months The Turkish authorities report that all those killed by the armed forces were terrorists directly involved in combat operations in the ongoing Kurdish separatist struggle in the south-east. We are also aware of a number of Turkish army personnel having been killed in the region, both in security operations and in periodic attacks by separatists on Turkish army targets.
	The overall socio-economic situation in the south-east remains difficult and we continue to press the Turkish government to pursue a comprehensive strategy of reforms to resolve outstanding issues.

Asylum

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 284-5W, on asylum seekers, 
	(1)  whether the working group on asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers will include representatives of local authorities with the highest number of failed asylum seekers awaiting deportation;
	(2)  what  (a) resources and  (b) information the working group on asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers will have available to them;
	(3)  what commitment she has made to implement the recommendations of the working group on asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what powers the working group on asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers will have to obtain information on the costs of supporting failed asylum seekers not funded by her Department from local authorities;
	(5)  when the working group on asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers will be established; and on the basis of which criteria its members will be selected.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 10 September 2007
	Since the original proposal for the establishment of a working group, we have concluded that this would not be the best way to move forward the specific concerns raised by local authorities and other steps have therefore been taken. The Border and Immigration Agency has carried out a formal public consultation on the arrangements for unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) which includes specific proposals addressing local authority concerns about arrangements for leaving care support for former UASC. On concerns relating to local authority support for people with no recourse to public funds, the Agency has been working closely with the No Recourse to Public Funds National Network (NN NRPF) which was established to address the challenges faced by local authorities in dealing with the NRPF issue. In 2006-07 the Border and Immigration Agency provided the network with a funding grant towards the cost of setting up and co-ordinating network activities and work is in progress to further enhance our relationship and partnership working with the network.
	The Border and Immigration Agency liaises with authorities locally through the offices of its new Regional Directors. At the national level, the Border and Immigration Agency has established a Local Authority Taskforce, working in partnership with a number of individual local authorities focussing on issues related to people subject to immigration control, and also engages with local authorities through the National Asylum Support Forum and the LGA (Local Government Association) Asylum and Refugee Task Group.

EU Law: Human Trafficking

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer given on 12 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1635W, on EU law: human trafficking, what changes to domestic legislation processes and guidance are required before the UK will ratify the treaty; what progress has been made to date on each of those changes; and what the anticipated date is by which all such changes will be complete.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 12 September 2007
	A dedicated project team within the Border and Immigration Agency has been set up to lead implementation of the convention and is reporting to a cross Government project board and ministerial group. The UK is already largely compliant with the provisions of the convention but part of the ongoing work is to establish exactly what legislation, guidance and training is required to make us fully compliant. As we develop implementation options we will consult with stakeholders within and outside Government, including via our established non-governmental organisation (NGO) stakeholder group, chaired by myself and the Solicitor-General. It is recognised that it will take some time to move from signature to ratification of the convention as the Government are committed to implementing the convention fully and in accordance with our ongoing strategy on trafficking outlined in the UK's Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking.

Proof of Identity: Genetics

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 23 July 2007,  Official Report, column 694W, on genetics, what the average length of time taken by her Department's agencies to identify an individual through analysis of DNA was in each of the last five years.

Meg Hillier: The process for matching DNA from individuals with that from crime scenes is as follows. When someone is arrested for a recordable offence a sample is taken, usually by means of a cheek swab, which is sent to a laboratory. The sample is analysed to produce a numerical code which represents a number of areas of the individual's DNA. This code is sent to the National DNA Database. If it passes quality assurance checks it is loaded onto the database, together with demographic information such as the person's name and date of birth. Crime scene investigation leads to discovery of traces of biological material such as semen, blood or saliva, which will in some cases allow a numerical code representing DNA from an individual who has left that trace at the crime scene to be produced. A match may occur either when a profile from a crime scene is loaded onto the database and is found to match a profile from an individual, or vice versa. Matching may also occur between profiles from different crime scenes, indicating that the same person was present at more than one crime scene, even if that person cannot yet be identified. The database operates continuously and matches are automatically notified to police forces electronically or by fax as soon as they are made. The question is understood to refer to the length of time a crime scene profile or a profile from an individual remains on the database before a match occurs. Data on this is not recorded.